PM, cabinet negotiating with hackers to buy data: Fawad

Seeks action against PM for undue facilitation to Maryam’s son-in-law on her request

ISLAMABAD, SEP 26 /DNA/ – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhary demanded impartial and thorough investigation into the audio leaks from the PM House containing conversations between the PM and the cabinet members, which, he said, a major security lapse and another tragic incident for the people of the country.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, he said that it was a very serious issue and it must be investigated properly; however, surprisingly, neither the PM House issued a statement nor announced investigation on the matter hitherto.

He lashed out the imported government for being unable to manage its affairs efficiently and demanded that action should be taken against Shehbaz Sharif for providing undue facilitation to procure machinery from India for Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law on her request.

Fawad quoted a TV channel that the imported government was so scared that they were in talks with the hackers to purchase the data that was put on the dark web, demanding $345,000, who claimed to have more explosive audios, which are yet to be released. However, he that what was the guarantee that the hacker would not blackmail the government again.

Fawad stated that hackers even claimed that they had even conversations of Pakistan security agencies pertaining to the security related issues.

He said that the breach suggested weak cybersecurity in the PM’s Office and that anything could be leaked as no conversation is safe there, adding that the 140-hour-long audio leak of the PM’s House has been available on internet since August 20, but no institution was aware of it.

Fawad stated that the IB was the relevant agency that has to monitor the affairs of the PM House, but despite spending billions of rupees, the agency remained completely unaware in this regard.

He said that a Twitter account was then created through which a few minutes of the conversation was leaked to the general public but unfortunately, even after several hours, the imported government failed to react to the unfortunate development. “PTI spent a lot of money to provide the latest equipment to agencies,” he added.

Fawad termed Rana Sanaullah and Marriyum Aurangzeb’s statements on the matter as funny, who, he said, indirectly confirmed the conversation.

He said that the National Assembly speaker must summon the PM and other members of the national assembly before the privilege committee to answer about it because it showed that Pakistan has faced a serious national security crisis.

Unfortunately, Fawad maintained that phone tapping had become unfortunately common in the country.

Fawad demanded that the imported government should bring the people involved in the matter to the fore and latest debugging system should be installed in the PM House.

He said that the interior minister confessed that the PM house was not secure and everything was recorded there, which showed as who this government was functioning.

Talking about the government’s decision to replace Miftah Ismail with Ishaq Dar, he said that after the audio leak’s conversation between Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif, Miftah should part ways with the government instantly.

“We repeatedly raised the issue that at the request of Maryam Aurangzeb, the cigarette industry is being facilitated because her husband is the marketing in-charge of the world’s largest tobacco company,” he added.

He said that the children of important ministers were adjusted in PTC and other companies, adding that the imported government strongly recommended to resume trade from India, but only PTI opposed it.

Fawad Chaudhry said that the Prime Minister of Pakistan was saying that the machineries should be brought from India through another country, adding that a person who could bypass his own country system how he could be called Sadiq and Amin?

He questioned: Can the Sharif family be given the task of making the country’s policies, as Shahbaz Sharif was breaching the country’s laws for his family and using the media for vested interests. He stated that Maryam Nawaz expressed annoyance over price hike in her tweet but she was advocating increase in fuel price in front of her uncle. He said that the leaked audio revealed the contradictory stance of Sharif family regarding the issue of Musharraf, adding that even chameleons don’t change color like the Sharif family does.

He said that in another audio leak of 4-5 ministers, some ministers were discussing the mechanism of accepting PTI members’ resignations, adding that these decisions were being made from London and Nawaz Sharif was making them.

Fawad stated that Chief Justice Islamabad High Court said that they did not interfere in the decisions taken by the Speaker. He said that Rana Sanaullah revealed that the resignations would be accepted on the 5th and they were done on the same date.

He hoped that the Chief Justice of Pakistan would take notice of the matter, adding that we are submitting all these audios records before the Supreme Court so as the apex court could decide the matter.

He said that a new reference should be filed in NAB against the PM and action should be taken against those ministers who interfered in the functioning of the parliament.

On the occasion, he expressed heartfelt condolence over the martyrdom of Pakistan Army soldiers in the unfortunate helicopter crash in Harnai.

He said that PTI expressed grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of Pakistan Army with the bereaved families and Pakistan Army and may Allah give patience to their families. He said that the technical accidents of helicopters witnessed an alarming upsurge which was concerning.

KARACHI: Gold price in Pakistan slumped to 4.5% falling below the threshold of Rs150,000 per tola as the rupee clocks its best day in six weeks after reports that Ishaq Dar will return as finance minister.

Data released by the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA) showed that the price of the precious metal plunged by Rs6,800 per tola and Rs5,829 per 10 grams to settle at Rs143,300 per tola and Rs122,857 per 10 grams, respectively.

The correction in gold was overdue for a long. Gold has declined by Rs11,800 per tola in the last four sessions. The reports of stability in rupee-dollar parity following news of Dar’s homecoming faded gold’s shine. The rupee’s value going forward would determine gold’s immediate future trajectory.

In the international market, the price of the yellow metal fell by $2 per ounce settling at $1,640 — its lowest level in 2-1/2 years weighed down by a strong dollar and US Treasury yields amid the US Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance on interest.

The dollar index rose to a fresh high in 2002 against its rivals, boosted by a plunge in British sterling, making gold more expensive for other currency holders.

Prices have fallen more than $400, or over 20%, since scaling above the critical $2,000 per ounce level in March as major central banks raised interest rates sharply to tame soaring inflation.

Gold rates in Pakistan are around Rs2,000 below the cost compared to the rate in the Dubai market.

Meanwhile, silver prices in the domestic market remained unchanged at Rs1,570 per tola and Rs1,346.02 per 10 grams.

ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee amid echoes of audio leaks.

According to sources, the prime minister will convene the meeting on Wednesday. The meeting will be attended by the leadership of all three armed forces, federal ministers and committee members.

Sources further said that the authorities will be briefed on security issues including the audio leaks of the Prime Minister s House in the meeting.

Earlier, a number of leaked audio recordings purportedly of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif s discussions with his aides and other officials about different government and party matters had been leaked. The incident has raised questions about the security of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). However, the government has not yet commented on the matter.

In the over two-minute-long audio clip, a voice said to be that of PM Shehbaz, could be heard saying that Maryam Nawaz had asked him to facilitate her son-in-law with the import of machinery from India. “If we do so, we will get a lot of flak when this matter goes to the ECC and cabinet,” the official can be heard saying in the audio clip.

At this, Prime Minister’s alleged voice can be heard saying: “The son-in-law is very dear to Maryam Nawaz. Tell her very logically about this and then I will talk to her.” The same voice also agrees with the perception that this would be bad for optics and may cause political trouble.

At the end of the audio clip, there is a mention of former Justice Maqbool Baqir, whose name was being considered as the next head of the National Accountability Bureau. The official is heard conveying to the premier the ‘suggestion’ of two media persons, asking him not to consider the former judge for the slot of NAB chairman, in view of their experience with former NAB chief Javed Iqbal, who was also a retired judge appointed by the PML-N government.

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has distributed two months ration among the flood victims enabling them to be self-sufficient until the rehabilitation work was completed in the flood affected areas.

The PAF was vigorously undertaking rehabilitation operation for flood victims of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab where the flood affectees are also provided free of cost medicines and medical care at PAF Field Medical Camps, a PAF news release said on Monday.

During the last 24 hours, Pakistan Air Force emergency response teams have distributed 16,650 cooked food packs, 750 water bottles and 777 ration packs amongst the needy families. Moreover, 920 patients were also attended by the medical teams of Pakistan Air Force. 

DNA                          

Islamabad, Sep 26: An amount of Rs.25,000 per family is being distributed through Benazir Income Support Programme to the flood affected families of Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan. So far a total of Rs.46,545,900,000 has been disbursed among 1,861,836 flood affected families under Flood Relief Cash Assistance across the country.

In Balochistan 150,568 flood affected families have received Rs. 3,764,200,000. 1,321,300 affected families of Sindh have received Rs.33,032,500,000. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 183,628 families have received Rs. 4,590,700,000 whereas 206,033 families of Punjab have received Rs.5,150,825,000. In Gilgit Baltistan 307 flood affected families have also received Rs. 7,675,000.

Today a total of 142,171 flood affected families have received financial assistance from different campsites established in flood hit areas. A control room has been established at Benazir Income Support Pogramme headquarters to ensure smooth payments.